Harvester



June 18, 1940. A. KOWALSKY HARVESTER Filed Oct. 21, 1938 Patented June 18, 1940 HARVESTER Andrew Kowalsky, Oak Park, Ill., assignor to International Harvester Company, a corpora.-

tion .of New Jersey Application October 21, 1938, Serial N0, 236,284:

4 Claims. (01. 56218) This invention relates to a harvester, and more particularly to steering mechanism therefor associated with the framefor guiding the harvesting part of the machine when operated over 3 fields plantedin rows.

A major difi'lculty, confronting the operation of row-crop harvesters has been encountered when the rows in the field over. which the. harvester is to be operated are not substantially. straight or are otherwise out of line. This con- 3 dition may be the result of faulty, planting or conditions of the soil or ground 1contour. .S'ince most harvesters are of substantial lengths, itis diflicult to steer the rear ends, thereof through the medium of guiding the horses or tractors 'to which the harvesters are attached. For this reason,.suitable guiding means must bel provided on. the harvester itself, which means are preferably adapted to be operated by an. operator situatedat some point on thenharvester.

. The principal object of the present invention, then, is to provide a suitable guiding means for the aforesaid purposeand another objectisto provide suitable controlflmeans .for the steering means, which may: be operatedby an operator situated on the harvester. i i i The foregoing objects are attainedby providing a harvester frame comprising a pair of frame .parts interconnected for relative lateral movement, one of the parts being connected to the rear frame portion ofthe. harvester, which is supported on the comparatively large rear ground wheels, and by locating the steering or guiding means substantially at the point of interconnec- 35 tion of theiframe members and between the rear ground wheels and a steerable front truck, which supports theforward frame part. .Brieflyand more specifically, the foregoing and lother important objects of the invention are L achieved in one preferred form of the invention in whicha row-crop harvester of thebinder type isprovided with suitable draft or frame elements extending longitudinally of the .harvesterand substantially at right angles to the axis of the of draft and may be easily and readily adjusted from the operators station to shift the relative lateral positions of the frame parts to guide the rear ground wheels. These draft or frame parts rear ground wheels of the harvester, thus compensatingfor irregularities .inthe rows in the field over which theharvester is operated.

A more complete understanding of thefobjects and desirable features of the invention may be had from the following detailed description taken drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a, plan view of a harvester embodying the invention;

Figure Zfis a transverse sectional view of the steering means taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and,

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevaticnal view of the steering means. The row-crop harvester chosen for the purposes of illustration is of the type commonly known as a binder and comprises generally a frame ll'l carried at its rear by a pair of laterally spaced rear ground wheels H. Longitudinally extending picking or harvesting means, generally shown at l2, extends forwardly from and be tween the wheels Ii longitudinally of the frame lfl. As is well known to those skilled in the art, machines of this type are adapted to operate over fields in which the growing crops have been planted in rows. Such a row has been generally indicated in Figure 1 at A, with plants or crops in said row being indicated at a. In the present showin there hasbeen illustrated a: portion of a" row, which, because ofsome circumstance or condition, is

line. i

The frame [0 comprises a forwardly extending frame part or draft member I 3, which is pivotally connected about a transverse horizontal axis to the frame proper, as at I4. A suitable brace IE not straight, or is otherwise out of a is secured between the frame and the frame part l3 to prevent relative lateral movement between these two parts. A second frame part or tongue I6 is movably interconnected with the frame part l3, preferably about avertical axis l'l, about which the parts may haverelative lateral movement.

able front truck I 8, generally comprising a transverse bolster l9 carried on a. pair of steerable wheels 2!). ally connected by a pivot pin Zia to the front truck I8 and is provided with cross links 22 connectedto steering arms 23 for effecting steering of the wheels 20. The member 2!! is pivotable ,relativeto the bolster l9 and member l6,but

there'is no pivotal movement between the member lfiand the bolster IS, in view of the auto- A draft device or member 52 I ispivot- The second or forward frame partifiis rigidly connected at its forward end to a steer- .45

the field under circumstances involving such curved rows as illustrated at A in Figure 1, steering or guiding means have been provided, and the association of this means with the harvester frame parts [3 and it forms an important part of the present invention.

The draft device 2 i is adapted to be connected to a source of draft power, such as a horse or a tractor, and, when the harvester is operated over the field, the member 2i and frame parts it and I6 are substantially in longitudinal alinement, or, stated in another Way, disposed generally along the line of draft. With the harvester operating in this position, the rear wheels I I follow the line of draft as does the picking means l2, and,

unless the horse or tractor is steered, the picking means l2 will follow in a straight line and will pick or harvest crops'planted along a straight row. When the row is curved or otherwise out of line, steering of the horse .or tractor is of little avail because of the distance between the effective portion ofthe picking means and the source of draft power.

A suitable steering means has been provided 7 by the present invention and preferably comprises a sector 24 rigidly carried at the rear end of the frame part or tongue 86. This sector 26 extends upwardly and laterally from the part It and has a toothed portion thereof disposed in a horizontal plane, as best shown in Figure 2. Further, as best shown in Figure 2, the rear frame part H3 is provided with a pair of longitudinally spaced brackets or arms 25 in which is rotatably carried a worm 26, which cooperates with the toothed sector 24, as will hereinafter ap- .the picking or harvesting means l2 approaches a curved part of a row, which is easily viewed 'by an operator from the station '29, the crank 21 may be operated and the position of the sector 24 thus changed, causing relative lateral shifting between the parts l3 and I6 about the vertical .axis H.

I Since the frame part I3 is laterally immovable with respect to the frame It, it fol- .lows that the rear part of the harvester, from :the point ll back, must accordingly be shifted laterally, and thus the rear wheels H are guided, .toguide the entire harvester to compensate for changes in the row. Steering of the harvester is easily effected by means of the steerable truck .48. Compensation for side draft may be made through the medium of steering the front wheels .10 by means of the steeding linkage provided.

When the harvester is drawn by horses, the

particular mountingof the frame parts with re- .spect to the harvester and the tongue truck simplifies and makes easier the steering and guidan er the .pickingor harvesting means l2.

provision of the front truck I B, of course, removes The the Weight of the entire harvester from the horses and enables them to be more easily guided by lithe operator of the machine.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that a new and improved harvester organization has been provided, into which a desirable'steer- 1. In a row-crop harvester having a Wheeled frame and an operators station thereon, the combination therewith of a draft member rigidly connected to the frame against relative lateral movement and extending from the frame substantially along the line of draft, a tongue pivotally connected at one end to the draft member for relative lateral movement and extending substantially along the line of draft, a wheeled truck supporting the tongue at its other end, a toothed member secured to the tongue substantially at the pivotal connection between the tongue and draft member, a worm movably carried by the draft member'and associatedwith the toothed member for normally holding the tongue and draft member substantially along the line of draft, and a control means extending within the vicinity of the operators station and connected to the worm, said means being operable to adjust the lateral position ,of the draft member with respect to the tongue for guiding the wheeled frame through the rows.

2. In a row-crop harvester having a frame carried ona pair of laterally spaced wheels and adapted to be drawn over a field planted in rows, a wheeled truck disposed ahead of the frame, and a draft member extending substantially along the line of draft and rigidly connected at one end to the frame against lateral movement relative thereto and connected at its other end to the truck, said draft frame comprising two parts pivotally interconnected on a vertical axis intermediate the aforesaid points .of connection, and means normally holding said parts in position along the line of draft, said :means .being operable to adjust the positions of said parts about the vertical axis at the'point of interconnection. i

3. In a row-crop harvester, a frame carried at its rear on a pair of. laterally spaced wheels and elements lateral movement between the rear wheels and the front truck, a .draft .device associated with of draft and .being adjustable to move said ele- .:ments laterally.

4. In .a row-crop harvester, a two part longi-i tudinal frame pivotally interconnected for relative lateral movement about a vertical axis; the rearward frame part being carried by a pair of rear ground wheels and the forward frame part being carried by a front truck associated .with

a draft device, and adjustable means associated with the frame parts normally holding said parts substantially longitudinal alinement, said means being operable to adjust said .parts lateral- ANDREW KOWALSKY.

at its front on a wheeled truck, said frame ineluding a pairof longitudinally .extending frame movably interconnected for relative I 

